Most modern automotive vehicles include a bumper fascia which extends the width of either the front or rear portion of an automotive vehicle. Although the bumper fascia is attached to the structural component or frame of the automotive vehicle at several locations, it is also required that the ends of the bumper fascia, which form a portion of the automotive vehicle wheel well, be secured to a fender panel which forms the remainder portion of the wheel well. Due to the narrow size of the ends of the bumper fascia adjacent the wheel well, a threaded fastener is typically used to secure the bumper fascia to the fender panel. The connection of the end portion of the bumper fascia and the fender panel is required to provide the proper placement of the components which provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance thereby increasing customer satisfaction with the automotive vehicle.
Modern automotive vehicles typically include a character line in which a portion of both the bumper fascia and the fender panel flare outwardly in a curved manner adjacent the wheel well. In order to provide the connecting portions for the fastener in the bumper fascia and fender panel, the character line includes a softened or curved portion defining the bumper fascia and fender panel from the flared portion. However, it is desirable to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance of the automotive vehicle in which the flared portion is defined by a hard or rigid character line without the use of the curved portion defining the flared portion adjacent the wheel well.
Due to the positions of both the bumper fascia and the fender panel, it is required that the fastener be inserted from a blind position. Specifically, the assembly team worker is required to insert the fastener through the connecting portions of the bumper fascia and fender panel without being able to visibly orient the fastener. As such, it has been known to provide fastener housings which are inserted through the connecting portions of the bumper fascia and the fender panel with greater ease. However, these previously known fastener housings typically have a uniform or circular configuration which once inserted into the connecting portions rotates within the connecting portions causing increased difficulty in inserting and securing the fastener.
Further, the fastener housings often are required to be inserted into the connection components having a specific orientation. However, as the assembly team member is inserting the fastener housing from a blind position without visually identifying the orientation of the fastener housing, the previously known fastener housings result in an increase in misinsertions. The incorrect insertion of the fastener housing with an incorrect orientation requires the assembly team worker to stop production, remove the fastener housing, and reinsert the fastener housing within the bumper fascia and the fender panel.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved attachment assembly having a fastener housing in which a rigid character line can be provided and that also prevents the insertion of the fastener housing in an incorrect orientation into the connection portion.